In the FCS Huddle: Southland ready for the next step

(Sports Network) - Southland Conference football is as hot as two-a-day
practices on a summer day in Texas or Louisiana.

The Southland has re-upped as the host conference for the NCAA Division I FCS
Championship Game, which member Sam Houston State has participated in the last
two seasons. Also, Central Arkansas is an emerging program and the conference
will add three new programs next season.

So let Sam Houston coach Willie Fritz be the one to raise the bar for how the
conference can raise its national profile even more this year.

"We need to get more teams in the national playoffs," he said, "and have a
team win the national championship."

It's quite possible, although for now, the legitimate candidates are limited
to Sam Houston and Central Arkansas, which shared the conference title last
season. Sam Houston was installed on Wednesday as this year's preseason
favorite at Southland media day, with Central Arkansas picked second in the
conference's two polls (head coaches and sports information directors).

Expansion will help the Southland swell to 14 members next year, with 12
fielding football programs, including newcomers Abilene Christian, Houston
Baptist and Incarnate Word.

The rest of the FCS has taken notice. The expanding Southland is part of the
growing number of larger conferences in the FCS, including five others that
are at least 10 members deep - Big Sky (13), Colonial Athletic (11), Mid-
Eastern Athletic (11), Pioneer (12 this year, 11 next year) and Southwestern
Athletic (10).

The top four conferences in the FCS are generally considered the Big Sky, CAA,
Missouri Valley and Southern, though their order can change from year to year.
With the Southern Conference braced to lose national powers Appalachian State
and Georgia Southern as well as Elon next year, there could be a spot up for
grabs among the nation's elite conferences, and the Southland, in addition to
the nine-team Ohio Valley Conference, will try to walk in the door.

Keep in mind the Southland has outperformed the OVC in the playoffs for quite
some time.

"The Southland Conference historically has placed multiple teams in the
playoffs and five or six times has played in the national championship game,"
Central Arkansas coach Clint Conque said.

"Our conference has had a handful of years when three teams entered the
playoffs. I honestly feel the conference is well-positioned nationally and in
the eyes of the athletic directors across the country, is one of the top three
or four conferences in the country. Obviously, gaining multiple selections and
winning the championship is the next step for Central Arkansas and the other
quality members of our conference."

The hope for the Southland favorite rests with a group of skill position
players that rivals any across the FCS. Sam Houston veterans Brian Bell
(quarterback), Timothy Flanders (running back) and Richard Sincere (all-
purpose) lead the way.

The offensive line is retooling, however, and that could set the Bearkats back
as they try to return to Frisco, Texas - site of the national championship
game - for the third straight season.

Sam Houston, Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana had a Southland-high
12 players each on the preseason all-conference team